“Aren’t you angry?”
Hac Dien Chau stared at Giang Niem.
For the first time in their marriage, he did not know how to read her.
Before.
Before everything changed.
Giang Niem would have already cried.
She would have grabbed his sleeve and asked why.
Why did he always believe Giang Van Ninh first?
Why did he always appear whenever that woman needed him?
Why did he never notice when she was hurting?
But now…
She simply looked at him.
Her eyes were calm.
Too calm.
“I understand.”
Those three words made Hac Dien Chau’s chest tighten.
He would rather she shouted.
He would rather she accused him.
He would rather she hated him.
Because hatred meant she still cared.
But this silence…
This indifference…
It felt like she had already walked away.
“Nien Niem.”
His voice softened unconsciously.
“Don’t be like this.”
She turned her head.
“Like what?”
He was speechless.
Because he suddenly realized he couldn’t answer.
Like what?
Like a woman who no longer begged?
Like a wife who no longer fought?
Like someone who had finally accepted that she was not the most important person in his heart?
The doctor entered at that moment and interrupted them.
“Captain Hac, your wife’s injuries are serious. She needs rest.”
Hac Dien Chau nodded immediately.
“I know.”
The doctor hesitated.
“She also lost a lot of blood.”
His expression changed slightly.
But before he could speak, Giang Niem calmly interrupted.
“Doctor, please don’t tell him anything unnecessary.”
The doctor froze.
Hac Dien Chau looked at her.
“Why?”
She smiled faintly.
“Because you are busy.”
Busy.
Such a simple word.
Yet it stabbed him.
Because how many times had he used that excuse?
He was busy with missions.
Busy with responsibilities.
Busy helping others.
And every time…
The person waiting for him was always her.
But she had finally stopped waiting.
After being discharged from the hospital, Giang Niem returned home.
The house was exactly the same.
The furniture.
The wedding photos.
The decorations she carefully chose.
Everything remained.
Except her heart.
She walked into the bedroom and opened the closet.
Half of it was filled with her clothes.
The other half belonged to Hac Dien Chau.
Three years ago, when they married, she had happily arranged everything.
She remembered him standing behind her, hugging her waist.
“Nien Niem.”
“You really want to spend your whole life with me?”
She smiled.
“Don’t you?”
He lowered his head and kissed her forehead.
“I will never let you regret choosing me.”
At that time, she believed him.
She believed him more than herself.
But now…
She looked at the same closet.
And quietly packed her things.
That evening, Hac Dien Chau returned earlier than usual.
The moment he opened the door, he stopped.
The house was dark.
No warm dinner.
No familiar figure waiting.
“Nien Niem?”
No answer.
He walked upstairs.
The bedroom door was open.
Then he saw the suitcase.
His heart suddenly sank.
“What are you doing?”
Giang Niem folded the last piece of clothing.
“Packing.”
“Why?”
She looked at him.
“Because I’m leaving.”
The words were simple.
But they caused panic he had never experienced before.
“Leaving where?”
“Overseas.”
“With the opera troupe.”
His face changed.
“How long?”
“Two or three years.”
Silence.
Then he frowned.
“Because of what happened?”
She shook her head.
“No.”
“Then why?”
Giang Niem looked at him.
Because this was the first time she truly saw him.
Not the man from her memories.
Not the hero who once saved her.
Not the husband she loved.
Just Hac Dien Chau.
A man who always chose everyone else.
“I am tired.”
Two words.
And somehow they hurt more than any accusation.
“You are my husband.”
“I spent years thinking that meant I would always come first.”
“But I was wrong.”
His fingers tightened.
“Nien Niem…”
She continued.
“I don’t blame you anymore.”
“Because I finally understand.”
“Your heart has never been empty.”
“It was just never reserved for me.”
The next morning, Giang Niem officially submitted the divorce application.
When Hac Dien Chau saw the papers, he froze.
Divorce.
The word looked impossible.
Because in his mind, Giang Niem would never leave.
She had always loved him.
She had always waited.
She had always forgiven.
So why now?
Why when he finally wanted to make things better?
“You really want this?”
She nodded.
“Yes.”
His voice became low.
“What about our years together?”
She smiled.
“I remember them.”
“And I will always be grateful.”
“But memories cannot force someone to stay.”
That afternoon, something happened that changed everything.
The military investigation into Giang Van Ninh’s injury was reopened.
Because a soldier discovered something strange.
The security footage from the day Giang Niem slapped Van Ninh.
The truth was revealed.
Giang Van Ninh had intentionally provoked Giang Niem.
She had followed her.
Insulted her.
And deliberately pushed herself near the stairs.
The slap was not the beginning.
It was the result.
When Hac Dien Chau watched the footage…
He sat there for a long time.
Unable to move.
Because the woman he had protected for years…
Was not as innocent as he believed.
And the woman he punished…
Was not the villain.
That night, he went to find Giang Niem.
But before he could reach her door, he heard voices.
Her brothers had arrived.
The famous Qiao family from overseas.
They stood around her.
Protecting her.
Supporting her.
The eldest brother looked at Hac Dien Chau coldly.
“Captain Hac.”
“You finally came.”
Hac Dien Chau lowered his eyes.
“I need to speak with Nien Niem.”
The man laughed.
“Now?”
“After she almost died?”
“After she lost her child?”
“After she spent years begging you for attention?”
Every word felt like a knife.
Because every word was true.
“I know I made mistakes.”
Her brother stared at him.
“No.”
“You made choices.”
“And every time, you chose someone else.”
When Hac Dien Chau finally saw Giang Niem, he didn’t know what to say.
The woman sitting there was still his wife.
But somehow…
She felt farther away than ever.
“I was wrong.”
Those were the first words he said.
Giang Niem looked at him quietly.
“I know.”
He froze.
“You know?”
“Yes.”
“You were wrong.”
“But knowing doesn’t change anything.”
His eyes reddened.
“Can you give me another chance?”
She was silent.
Then she asked:
“Captain Hac.”
“When I was trapped for half a year…”
“When I was waiting for you to save me…”
“Do you know what I wanted most?”
His throat tightened.
“What?”
“Not a hero.”
“Not a soldier.”
“Not a commander.”
“I just wanted my husband.”
Those words destroyed him.
Because he finally understood.
He had saved many people.
But he had failed the one person who needed him most.
Three days later, Giang Niem left for her overseas tour.
At the airport, Hac Dien Chau stood among the crowd.
He wanted to stop her.
He wanted to ask her to stay.
But he didn’t.
Because for the first time…
He understood love was not forcing someone to remain.
It was respecting their choice.
Before boarding, Giang Niem looked back.
Their eyes met.
He whispered:
“Take care.”
She smiled.
“You too.”
Then she turned away.
No tears.
No hesitation.
No regret.
Two years later.
Giang Niem returned.
She was no longer the woman who waited at home.
She was the world-famous principal dancer.
Confident.
Elegant.
Powerful.
And completely herself again.
Hac Dien Chau attended her performance.
When the curtains opened, everyone stood and applauded.
Including him.
After the show, they met backstage.
He looked at her for a long time.
“You changed.”
She smiled.
“No.”
“I just came back to who I was.”
He lowered his eyes.
“I lost you because I didn’t understand you.”
Giang Niem looked at him.
“No.”
“You lost me because you never tried to know me.”
The sentence was gentle.
But final.
Hac Dien Chau smiled sadly.
“Maybe in another life…”
She interrupted.
“Don’t wait for another life.”
“Live this one well.”
Then she walked away.
This time…
He didn’t chase her.
Because he finally understood.
The woman who once loved him enough to forgive everything…
Had already given him the greatest gift.
A chance.
And he had wasted it.
The day Giang Niem stopped crying was the day Hac Dien Chau finally realized the truth.
He had not lost a weak woman who needed him.
He had lost the strongest woman who ever chose him.
